[release]This thread is part of a series of similar threads, all of which are meant to be a safe haven for all artists, no matter if you're unsure of your ability and don't want to make a thread, are lazy and don't want to make a thread, or tend to get yelled at when you make a thread but feel like your work needs to be posted anyways.

What should I post?
If you post any photos here, expect to learn from your mistakes. We are here to help you improve and give you a little praise to help you along the way, don’t be expected to be treated as a photography god though. As long as the photos are something you are proud of, and have some sort of artistic qualities to them, feel free to post them. Just don’t post a huge batch of drunken point and shoot photos from your nightclub antics.

Example of a good post:

I did a photoshoot with a new model today, experimenting using my wireless flash.
1-5 artistic photos including Flickr links at 640x420 or 1024x680

Could I get any criticism for these photos, should I do some changes to x in photoshop?

This poster would ignore all criticism and continue to think they are amazing.

Why should I post here instead of making a thread?
Often if you make a thread it is a gallery of five or more photos of which people may praise or give light criticism, if you post your photos in here you will often receive more useful criticism.
Furthermore if you have less than five great photos to show off, you should probably just post them in here instead. If you don’t think your photos are good, then people in here will be happy to help you improve (don’t cry in the corner, just post your photos!).

Don’t post photos unless you are going to give criticism to others!
If you see any photos you like of dislike, please give criticism. Criticism is far more value-able to a photographer than praise, so criticise even the tiniest of flaws in a photo!
Don’t post your own photos without giving criticism to others, as that is rather rude. Also, if you are going to post photos listen to criticism given to you and don't throw a hissy fit if someone tells you something you don't like.

Thanks for the helpful before/after comparison. When you're taking the non-subject surrounding pictures, do you physically move on a horizontal plane? Or do you just turn the camera, such as being on a tripods tilt head?

How are overdone washed-outness and udnersaturation of colors any better than overdone HDR? They're both quick and easy ways to make crappy point-and-shoot shots look "artsy" used by crappy amateur photographers who don't actually want to learn the craft before they "jump in" do whatever the hell expecting their work to be good. They're both processes used to make up for lack of actual photographic quality.

Edited:

There is literally no difference between making your photos look "washed out" and making them HDR, except of course for the fact that one of the schools of thought thinks itself superior to the other.

How are overdone washed-outness and udnersaturation of colors any better than overdone HDR? They're both quick and easy ways to make crappy point-and-shoot shots look "artsy" used by crappy amateur photographers who don't actually want to learn the craft before they "jump in" do whatever the hell expecting their work to be good. They're both processes used to make up for lack of actual photographic quality.

Edited:

There is literally no difference between making your photos look "washed out" and making them HDR, except of course for the fact that one of the schools of thought thinks itself superior to the other.

I wasn't saying you shouldn't criticise, but don't do it like an asshole.

I wasn't saying you shouldn't criticise, but don't do it like an asshole.

But it's okay to do it like an asshole if you are criticizing HDR rather than criticizing washed-out pictures. Because HDR is totally inferior and stupid, whereas washed-out effects are totally cool looking, and artistic, and chill, man. And they're definitely not both two means to get to the same end.

There's a lot I like and a lot I don't like. I love the wave the light is reflecting off the leaves on the ground and how is subtly changes as you go further back. I also love the clipped blacks on your jeans, really makes you blend in with the ground (in a good way). Love the setting too btw, that oof hanging branch in the back center is awesome. Finally I like how you sort of lead the viewer's eye to the branch on the right with your line of sight. However, I really dislike to the degree you've faded the blacks, and it seems you haven't made any effort to work around the fading either (subject is too dull, ground lacks definition, this could have been counteracted by upping the lights but I guess the background is too bright for it - a good thing to think about when choosing background). The background is way too eye catching and the subject is hard to make out (a good rule of thumb is if you're going to under expose the subject, the background has to be bright and vice versa, if you can't see the subject really clearly when you squint, the viewer can easily get lost in the photo).

I know that probably sounded really harsh but I think you're on the right track, keep plugging at it until you hit the spot :)

Thanks for the kind words first of all, i like the concept of the photo but i think i made some mistakes which brought it down a lot. Upping the lights did indeed overexpose the background to an unusable extent, and in future I'm gonna be more careful on what my subject is directly in front of, in frame. The location was the most annoying part, as i had struggled to find anywhere decent. About the washed out look, was just trying something new which didn't turn out too great, a learning curve if you will. I can post a few more from the day that may have been better choices, if you'd like to see.

It wasn't harsh at all, i appreciate comments like that more than you'd think. After all it's a 365 and I'm always looking to improve and learn.

Edit: I think i prefer this other one, might switch around my flickr entry. Surely thats okay for a 365 cause i did take it yesterday. I'll post it here and see what you guys think.

I personally preferred the colder colours but the bokeh in this one is gorgeous!!

also, can i please get some feedback on my above post?

Thanks, I'm gonna post another. Im torn between three right now.

Yeah your photos seemed like more of a play around, and a test rather than something artistic. personally i don't find light painting like that very artistic, maybe if you got outside and did something a little more time consuming you might have a more interesting image. I don't mean to be harsh, all the best.